“Empty Bowls” is an international project to fight hunger, personalized on a community level. Hunger is a feeling experienced usually followed by a desire to Eat. The concept for “Empty Bowls” is simple. Participating artists create and donate ceramic bowls, then serve a simple meal. The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of Activities to do with creating Art, practicing the Arts and/or demonstrating The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word κεραμικός ( keramikos) Guests choose a bowl to use that day and to keep as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world. In exchange for the meal, and the bowl, guests give a suggested minimum donation. The meal's proceeds are given to local hunger-fighting organizations, such as food banks or soup kitchens, or to national or international charitable groups. A food bank is a non-profit organization which distributes non-perishable goods and perishable food items to non-profit agencies involved in local emergency food programs A soup kitchen or a bread line is a place where Food is offered to the Poor and Homeless for free or at a reasonably low Price
“Empty Bowls” events can be sponsored by local potters and artists organizations, churches, community service organizations and schools. Pottery is the Ceramic ware made by potters It also refers to a group of materials that includes Earthenware, Stoneware A school (from Greek σχολεῖον - scholeion) is an Institution designed to allow and encourage Students (or "pupils" The expressed objectives of “Empty Bowls” are:
The project was initiated by Michigan art teacher John Harton. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. During the 1990-91 school year, the high school teacher joined a drive to raise charitable funds in his community. Harton's idea was to give artists and students a way to make a personal difference. In his art classes, Harton's students made ceramic bowls. The finished products were then used as serving pieces for a fund-raising meal of soup and bread, and guests kept the empty bowl.
By the following year, Harton and other participants developed this concept into “Empty Bowls. ” Although the Imagine/RENDER Group, a 501(c)3 organization, was created to promote the project, each community’s events are self developed and independent. This project expands one group of concerned artists and students at a time, and events are held in many areas in the United States and Canada, often in conjunction with the United Nations sponsored World Food Day. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrates World Food Day each year on 16 October, the day on which the Organization “Empty Bowls” now supports food related charities around the world and has raised millions of dollars to aid in the fight against hunger.